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Do our eyes deceive us? Trick shots galore in this magical tour of London.
Trick film 1930 4 mins Silent
The film camera is used to great effect here to trick and treat its audience, injecting fun into the otherwise mundane London commute, slum demolition, Thames or London Bridge traffic. Trick films, as they were known, used the medium's technology to enchant, entertain and astonish. This spectacle-dominated, avant-garde piece is pure delight and features some of the capital's key landmarks.
Travelogue 1924 25 mins Silent Location: London
From the pilots of the Pool of London to the headquarters of the Port of London Authority, let’s take a look.
Documentary 1959 49 mins Location: Kennington
Karel Reisz’s honest depiction of South London teens aimed to challenge the media perception of ‘Teddy Boys’.
Amateur film 1963 3 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Excellent if somewhat jerky aerial shots of London taken from a helicopter and featuring close-ups of Waterloo, the docks and Tower Bridge.
Government sponsored film 1956 12 mins Location: Soho
Traffic chaos and parking pandemonium in London is nothing new - as we see from this colourful 1950s research film shot around the capital.
Public Information Filler 1928 20 mins Silent Location: Bermondsey
The original foodie city: from bustling Bermondsey Wharves through Smithfield and Billingsgate to London's street markets and general stores.
Amateur film 1933 8 mins Silent Location: Tower Hamlets
Whistle stop tour of the Thames' iconic locations, followed by crowds, eels and strongmen in the East End.
Non-Fiction 1925 1 mins Silent Location: Southwark Br
Sing up and eat up! Billingsgate market traders sing for your supper
1924 10 mins Location: Belgravia
Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.
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